Manager says North Caledonian Cup will define St Duthus’ campaign
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St Duthus manager Alan Geegan believes the North Caledonian Cup will define the club’s season.
The Tain outfit take on Nairn County A in the semi final this weekend, and with the top of the table out of reach, it represents their only chance of silverware before the campaign is over.
Taking over midway through the season after the departure of tenured managerial team Stuart and Andrew Ross, Geegan says he had his sights set on the cup from day one, with the work done since then preparing them for this moment.
“This is basically what I’ve been building towards since I took over,” Geegan said.
“Obviously my target at first was to make us competitive in the league again, and I think we have done that.
“Credit has got to go to the boys for that– they’ve always had the ability, it was just a bit of belief they lacked.
“They definitely have it now. We knew this cup competition was going to be after Christmas, so if we could get on a decent run and build up a bit of momentum it would give us half a chance.
“This is going to define our season this week. Regardless of where we finish in the league, if we get to the final it’s obviously a 50/50 chance of winning it, and that would be a great achievement.”
Nairn County come into the match off back-to-back defeats against Inverness Athletic, but the young squad will pose a threat with their speed and fitness.
Geegan will have to make do without Daniel Christie, who was sent off against Golspie Sutherland last time out, but St Duthus can welcome back two key players in the form of Ben Bruce and Ross Tokely.
“If you’re in a semi final, you’re there for a reason, so anybody can beat anybody on the day,” Geegan added.
“It’s going to be down to whoever turns up on the day I think, who puts in the right performance will be the team that deserves to go through.
“If we go there with any kind of complacency, then we’ll find ourselves tumbling out of the cup.”
